Pros: The Spring Lake DGC is, as often stated, a course with major potential but severely lacking in maintenance.

-Rubber tee pads on most holes and most give a very rough indication the layout of the hole.

-Great uses of the elevation changes in the park and there a Ton of trees to play around (good and really bad, THICK)

-Nice scenery to take in while you are endlessly searching for your discs.

-Quality baskets that are in good condition and easily visible once you overcome the blind throws that many of these holes have.

-A thinly mowed path will lead you around most of the course, follow them to scout ahead on holes.

-The overall layout of the course is Not too bad... Holes #1-#15 travel around the back corner of the park and brings you right back to the parking lot. See below for holes 16-18.

Cons: -Grass, grass, and more grass. And super thick trees/shrubbery on certain holes. I've searched for a disc for 20 minutes after watching it land before... they just disappear.

-No garbage cans. Since this is located in Williston the vast majority of players are rough-around-the-edges oil workers and sadly they don't really make an effort to keep it clean.

-Rubber tee pads...they are very short and could be moved around. I'd almost prefer dirt pads if they would just put in tee signs. At least they mark the beginning of the holes, just not super easy to spot.

-No course map or markers/arrows to help guide you around the course. Some tee pads take a little searching to find.

Other Thoughts: Bring a partner!! Either find a local guide or have a friend, it works best to use each other as spotters on most holes to overcome the blind shots. Trust me, the grass is LONG and you odds are you WILL lose a disc in it at some point.

Use bug spray. A lot of it. Once the sun starts setting the mosquitoes are relentless. Also drinks are a must as you are in direct sunlight and hiking a good amount.

Holes #16 & #17 can be found off on the ridge to the East of the parking lot and hole #1. You can see the baskets from the parking lot. Teepad #17 can be found further down the hill from basket #16. Teepad #18 is down the hill from basket #17 and plays up the hill to the garbage can (since the basket is missing).

I would really like to give this course a higher rating, and if they did some mowing and created a map or had better signs, it could Easily be a 3.5-4 star course. They could reconfigure it better by making hole #15 into hole #18 and adding 3 more holes earlier on the course, there is plenty of space.

I don't want to discourage anyone from attempting this course, it could be a really nice course if the park management (or whomever) would mow it better. Just bring a partner and spot each others throws, your round will go MUCH quicker and you'll be much less frustrated. This course can be fun!!

Pros: +great use of terrain (up and down hills/valleys)
+hard but rewarding
+rubber tee pads with hole info on them
+easy to spot yellow baskets
+good, solid baskets - not falling apart
+beautiful views
+not over populated (no surprise for its location)

Cons: -no course map
-lack of concrete tee pads
-not a full 18 at the moment - missing holes....
-blind holes galore
-mosquitoes are real bad near dusk (no surprise for its location)
-no tee posts to help identify where the tees are

Other Thoughts: **WARNING: LONG REVIEW**

After reading the previous reviews and taking a look at hole 1 of this course I said hell no! But my love of the game led me to decide I would try to put together a comprehensive review that would make a nearly impossible course for first time visitors playable. I advise wearing boots, pants, a long sleeve shirt, and bug spray, and playing with a bright colored driver (I used a fluorescent orange one which definitely helped me). As the previous reviewers point out there is a lot of tall grass, hidden obstacles in the ground, and some hills/valleys.

I have to start out saying this is course, with knowledge of the basket placement, is a very good course and a challenging course. That being said I was able to par most holes I played so it is not impossible, just a challenge. I was visiting on a trip for work and thus I am possibly missing some details on this course overview due to time constraints so other reviews might be able to fill in my gaps. If I lived locally I would definitely be happy this course is available for use, even with its flaws.

The course is somewhat maintained with mowed areas of "fairway" that are about 3, maybe 4, feet wide. I gathered information on the par for the hole via what was written at each tee but unfortunately did not make note of the distances.

To find hole 1, turn left as soon as you enter the park. There will be a dirt road that traverses up a hill away from the lake and across the paved walking path. Take this road up to the top of the hill and park here, tee 1 will be facing north. This is a blind hole that is nearly straight from the tee hidden behind a few trees and tall grass. Par 4.

Tee 2 should be easy to find if you follow the mowed grass to the right of hole 1. Hole 2 is located at the base of a tree to the right of the tee and down the valley that is in front of the tee. Par 4.

Tee 3 is near hole 2 making it easy to find. Hole 3 is located straight down from the tee towards a concrete object that is painted dark red. The hole is down just slightly from that object. Par 3.

Tee 4 should be easy to find heading back up the hill but the hole is a blind hole straight from the tee but over the hill in your way and then on the upside of the hill with the private fence on it. Par 5.

Tee 5 is back up the hill from where hole 4 was near a yellow painted picnic table. Hole 5 is nearly straight in front of the tee but it is a blind hole that is hidden behind a few trees. Par 4.

To get to tee 6 you will need to backtrack near the outskirts of the trees and the hole is straight up following the narrow "fairway" mowed out between trees. Par 3.

Tee 7 should be easy to find not far from hole 6. Hole 7 has a dog leg to the left and is hidden behind two trees. It is near the north end of the park where a small/old barb wire fence is slowly falling down. It is difficult to navigate but not very far. Par 3.

Again tee 8 should be easy to find not far from hole 7. The hole for 8 is straight from the tee with a slight turn to the right. Par 3.

Tee 9 is back near tee 7 - you will need to walk past hole 6. Hole 9 is located nearly straight up but it is behind a group of trees and brush so you will want to have a slight throw to the left. It is near the wooden fence which follows the dirt road to the parking used for the course (as described above). Par 3.

To get to tee 10 you will need to walk straight across the road and then continue to walk straight and you will see the tee just slightly to your right. Hole 10 is down by the road. You will want to throw far downhill with a curve to the left following the road. This is a perfect hole for RHBH throwers. Par 3.

Tee 11 is across the road and back up the hill slightly. To find hole 11 you will want to stay to the right of the road and go on the pond side of a long line of tall bushes. Par 4.

Tee 12 is back across the road near the walkway and road intersection and hole 14 is also very close to it so it should be easy to spot. Hole 12 goes back up the hill towards hole 10 and away from the lake. It is situated to the right of the line of trees. Par 3.

I was unable to located tee 13 so I threw from a spot near hole 12. Hole 13 is located near the road at the top of the hill not too far from where you teed off for hole 10. Par 3?
Tee 14 starts from the south side of the parking lot and the hole is dangerously close to tee 12. The best suggestion might be to follow the tree line down on the left side so to avoid other players and going over hole 12 but either way this tee/hole placement was not well thought out on this one.

From here I was unable to locate tee/hole 15 and 16! I searched and searched but the mosquitos were out, I was quickly losing light, and I was running out of places to look. I especially got confused when I found hole 17 before 15 or 16. Based on the other reviews I'm going to guess that holes 15 and 16 are out there somewhere but I just couldn't find them. The other possibility is that they holes no longer exist just like hole 18 which has been missing for some time now… (based on other reviews and the fact that I never found it). And unfortunately, I have more bad news; I couldn't find tee 17. But hole 17 is located on a ridge of a hill just up from an old abandoned building down near the parking by the lake so you could make up your own tee to play that hole.

THE BOTOM LINE: this course has tons of potential! With the lack of a course map and missing hole(s) I just couldn't give it a high rating but without a doubt I would play it over and over if I were a local. The terrain challenges are great!

Pros: when i came to visit williston to see if my wife and i wanted to move there with family, i had the chance to be awed by this neglected course, there is a lot of potential but. its rough, its been abandoned. anyhow, were now deciding to leave our home and head there this april. ive contacted the parks and hope to work with them to get this park back up to par, ill keep this posted and add more info as time goes on.

Pros: Great baskets. Has a nice mix of elevation. This is a very challenging course.

Cons: Where do I start! The front half of the course is far from maintained. The grass is too tall. The very first basket placement is a joke, "here lets just stick it 100ft in these twigs, bushes and trees". No tee signs, teepads are here and there and hard to locate. It took me 45mins to play the first three holes due to the tall grass and locating where to throw from.

Other Thoughts: If one of the locals would step it up and mark the holes that are missing pads, and the parks dept. would MOW, and add tee signs. this could be an enjoyable course, UNTIL THEN STAY AWAY

Pros: This course is a bit of a monster. Lots of long uphill and downhill throws with a good mix of wooded holes. Very challenging course where distance plays as much part as technicality. a majority of the front 9 plays through some dense foliage and trees which really puts the demand on accurate approach shots. The back 8, since the basket for 18 is missing, plays mostly up and down the hills over looking the lake. Holes 10 and 14 are really fun downhill bombs and hole 15 has to be one of the longest uphill throws I have ever had the chance to play. You definitely have to work to earn your birds on this course and there are a couple of chances for downhill aces on holes 3 and 16. A pretty fun course to be found here with some good views and a good workout as well.

Cons: Plenty of cons to be found here. Trash all over the place, as well as around Williston. No tee signs and only some of the holes have cement or rubber tees. A few blind holes, not that it's a bad thing, but you really have to search for some of them the first time through once you've found the tee areas. According to the locals, the park gets an abundance of tall grass and the park department doesn't do anything to keep it trimmed up other than the walking paths. Needless to say, there gets to be quite a few lost discs. The basket for 18 is missing plus there's a bit of a walk between holes 15 and 16. It would almost make more sense to play 16 and 17 then come back to 1 the way the course is layed out. Check yourself for ticks after your round, there are a bunch of them lurking around. Sadly, this course doesn't get used very much. I have only seen a few other people out there the times I have played it and there is no local club or league play either.

Other Thoughts: If the park would do a better job of keeping it clean and putting in tee signs and pads for all of the holes and also cutting the tall grass during the summer then this course would earn a higher rating. You can find a map for the first 15 holes on this site which really helps. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone in the area. It really is a fun course once you get past the negative aspects about it.

Pros: This course is great in alot of ways! I like the big distance holes, the elevated tee pads, a good mix of technical holes, trees, steep hills and tough basket placements. Some of the tee pads are concrete nicely sized too. Disc catchers were in great shape. Beautiful views of Williston, North Dakota and Spring Lake.

Cons: One of the more poorly marked courses I have ever played, Holes 5 through 9 poorly maintained, over growth up there pretty bad. Keep an eye on your disc as you should. There are only 17 holes. Trash is another thing appearently people think it's ok to throw their beer bottles, liquer bottles and random crap all over the course. No map of the course in the upper parking lot was tough. I spent three and a half hours just locating all the holes. Those were the downers.

Other Thoughts: Man if they could poor the rest of the pads and did some upkeep on the upper holes you would have a spectacular course. Also, one or two trash cans would help. I'm going to have to say I am very grateful to have this course. I am just doing work up here for a couple months so it's great to have Spring Lake Course. If you have the option bring a local disc golfer if you can find one. Over all I'm having alot of fun with the course!

Pros:
The course is located in a beautiful park surrounded by rolling hills, clean and clear lakes, and amazing views of Williston. The DISCatcher baskets were wonderful and helpful in locating each hole. The tee pads were a combination of rubber and cement pads. Great for grip and powerful drives. The back 9 holes (which were much easier to find) were located on rolling hills with amazing elevation changes. The layout of the back nine and holes 1-3 were well done and a lot of fun.

Cons:
Finding the course was a bit of a challenge (finding 58th street) but fortunately friendly locals showed me the way. Another thing (a big thing) was locating the tee pads. Although there was a mail box that said maps, there were none. After running down the fairway of each hole,I found most of the baskets but no tee pads or signs indicating where to go. Unfortunately I could not play holes 4-9 due to over growth. Signs would really help since tee pads were hidden in the brush.

Other Thoughts:
This course was a bit of a disappointment for me considering I drove from Billings, Montana to Minot, North Dakota stopping here in hopes of a hidden gem. It truely was hidden but was also a gem. I would have rated this course a whole grade higher if it weren't for the lack of information provided for DG's. I just feel (as I am sure most DG's do) that vistors to new courses should be able to get through a course without having to feel like Lewis and Clark. If the course requires a map to get through and locate each hole then the maps should be available or a permanent map should be posted at the top near hole one. I know a lot of effort has been put in to the course and it is apparent but it saddens me when I have an opportunity to play a course just once in my lifetime but can not complete it due to confusion. However, if you can find a local or a map to play with I recommend it because the holes I did play were a lot of fun.